Removal of dissolved rhenium by sorption onto organic polymers: study of rhenium as an analogue of radioactive technetium

Technetium (Tc-99) is one of the main components of nuclear wastes. Tc characteristics can be predicted by studying rhenium. (Re-75), one of its chemical analogue, thus avoiding the use of a radioactive element at high concentrations. The objectives of this experimental study was to understand the sorption behavior of Re with natural organic materials in order to define the possible condition of Tc uptake in case where Tc may be transferred into surface or ground waters. As the well-defined organic sorbents we chose chitosan which contains amine -NH2 groups; poly-galacturonic acid (PGA) and poly-styrene sulfonates (PSS) which contain respectively carboxyl -COOH and sulfonate -SO3H groups. Concerning the reaction of Re with PGA or with PSS, no interaction between Re and carboxyl or sulfonate groups was found within the detection limit of this study. Re sorption on chitosan was found to be dependent on ionic strength and pH. We propose that non-specific sorption of perrhenate ion ReO4- via electrostatic interaction takes place at the protonated amine groups NH3+. The polymer-solution interface can be described by the electric diffuse double layer model combined with the Langmuir-Freundlich model. The calculation is in good agreement with our experimental results. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.